Some powerful connections you’ve made in your unpaid internship. I currently work in a setting that is all about nutrition education/lifestyle changes and it’s been challenging to communicate this information that avoids a lot of the pitfalls you mentioned. Partly I think because of the system I operate in and for a variety of other reasons. It made me think about why the few folks that do attend and that it could be performative wellness. That could be a dangerous assumption I’m making. I just think back to my experiences working in these settings and how performing wellness afforded these people privileges they previously couldn’t. I want to believe that nutrition education still has a small part to play but I think it would have to function radically different than it currently does in many institutions. It almost feels like to be able to innovate this would have to be outside of these institutions. Are there spaces, places or works from others etc. that you find inspiring when it comes to how nutrition education could be different and reaches the themes you outlined? Would love to dream with others to help stimulate my own ideas and hopefully towards implementation.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences! It can definitely be tough. I’ve talked to people in my organization about some of these topics, but the organization’s position as a food pantry that offers nutrition education on the side makes it difficult to challenge the entire structure, especially as an unpaid intern hahaha.
I find the rise in urban gardening organizations particularly empowering because of their focus on food justice principles and community control over their food system. People are aware that vegetables are good for you, and maybe a community garden won’t solve deep-rooted issues in a community, but it may be more empowering for people to participate in growing food rather than learning about what to eat without learning about ways to do so. One example is Community Services Unlimited in LA! I found out about them through reading a chapter of Black Food Matters by Hanna Garth. Other organizations that come to mind are Soulfire Farm and Harlem Grown in New York. I’ve also looked into some food policy councils and they seem to have some community programs that are related to their efforts to change local and national policy.
I definitely agree with you about nutrition education’s role, but yes, it does need to be different. Perhaps the existing institutions must recognize the need for nutrition education to be part of the picture and extend their efforts to foster the community’s self-sufficiency. But then again, for that to happen, the infrastructure of some of these organizations needs to radically change.
urban gardens + community-focused culinary education for the win <3
Some powerful connections you’ve made in your unpaid internship. I currently work in a setting that is all about nutrition education/lifestyle changes and it’s been challenging to communicate this information that avoids a lot of the pitfalls you mentioned. Partly I think because of the system I operate in and for a variety of other reasons. It made me think about why the few folks that do attend and that it could be performative wellness. That could be a dangerous assumption I’m making. I just think back to my experiences working in these settings and how performing wellness afforded these people privileges they previously couldn’t. I want to believe that nutrition education still has a small part to play but I think it would have to function radically different than it currently does in many institutions. It almost feels like to be able to innovate this would have to be outside of these institutions. Are there spaces, places or works from others etc. that you find inspiring when it comes to how nutrition education could be different and reaches the themes you outlined? Would love to dream with others to help stimulate my own ideas and hopefully towards implementation.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences! It can definitely be tough. I’ve talked to people in my organization about some of these topics, but the organization’s position as a food pantry that offers nutrition education on the side makes it difficult to challenge the entire structure, especially as an unpaid intern hahaha.
I find the rise in urban gardening organizations particularly empowering because of their focus on food justice principles and community control over their food system. People are aware that vegetables are good for you, and maybe a community garden won’t solve deep-rooted issues in a community, but it may be more empowering for people to participate in growing food rather than learning about what to eat without learning about ways to do so. One example is Community Services Unlimited in LA! I found out about them through reading a chapter of Black Food Matters by Hanna Garth. Other organizations that come to mind are Soulfire Farm and Harlem Grown in New York. I’ve also looked into some food policy councils and they seem to have some community programs that are related to their efforts to change local and national policy.
I definitely agree with you about nutrition education’s role, but yes, it does need to be different. Perhaps the existing institutions must recognize the need for nutrition education to be part of the picture and extend their efforts to foster the community’s self-sufficiency. But then again, for that to happen, the infrastructure of some of these organizations needs to radically change.